


The Hasteron Legacy

by Allamarain



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: 11.5x03, Action/Adventure, Biotechnology, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Inspired by Real Events, Needles, Not Canon Compliant, Series 11.5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22248739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allamarain/pseuds/Allamarain
Summary: A biotech company, Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, has developed a machine that can diagnose any disease with a blood sample. However, reports of suppressed complaints, extreme secrecy, and disappearing employees leads the Doctor and her friends to investigate.At stake are the lives of millions of patients-including Graham.
Comments: 22
Kudos: 52
Collections: Season 11.5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This was written prior to Series 12 starting, so there will be divergence both in plot and character.

West Saxon, England  
812 AD

Jas winced as he stepped out of his still smoking ship, trying not to brush his abdomen against the door. Slowly, propping himself against the ship’s shiny metal exterior with one hand, he surveyed the damage.

The nose cone of the ship was completely destroyed. Sparks flew out of the engine. A wing had been completely torn off, leaving a gaping wound in the shiny grey metal of the fuselage. No wonder he hadn’t been able to regain control of the ship. In such a small vessel-a single man fighter-coming down after such a far distance, he was lucky to have survived at all.

He wasn’t sure that was a good thing. He was alone, he was injured, and he was on a strange planet. A slow death by starvation or injury was no improvement over an immediate impact with the ground. He’d examined his repair kit and first aid case before exiting the ship, and they were in roughly the same state. Not that the repair kit would have been useful.

He’d been scouting the Polla sector, looking for weaknesses in the enemy’s defense when it happened. He’d seen flashes of light and the next thing he knew, he was in an unfamiliar star system, the fighter hurtling through space like a thrown knife. Possibly a wormhole. Now he was stranded on a planet that appeared to have just green and brown vegetation spread as far as he could see. He didn’t know if there was sentient life; the instruments had burned out before he could make a reading. He hoped there wasn’t, as he didn’t stand much of a chance in an attack.

He closed his eyes and tried to feel for the presence of his Queen in his mind, but felt only a gaping void. Wherever he was, he was very far from home, out of range. If he had any chance of being found, he’d have to rely on the backup plan. He just hoped it hadn’t been damaged as badly as the ship.

Gingerly reaching back into the open cockpit, he fired the homing drone. A green elliptical shape emerged from behind the seat, shooting into the sky. The drone would have recorded his position and status, all of the relevant information. But could it make the extraordinary distance? Even if the drone returned home, it could take weeks. In the meantime, his advanced training in surviving austere environments would be put to the test.

Jas grabbed the backpack with his emergency rations, gritting his teeth as he slung it over his shoulder. He managed to hook on the other strap before setting off, limping and grimacing with each step. He would not stop. He was a soldier, and soldiers did not acquiesce to pain.

He walked and walked until he could no longer see the ship when he looked back. The single sun, initially hanging low, was now directly overhead, making him sweat in his flight suit. He surveyed his surroundings. Open fields, with tall, green fibrous flora. He tried to ignore the ache in his abdomen, which was becoming more and more pronounced. He kept walking, as the sky turned dark and then light again, eating the ration bars as he walked. His head throbbed, first at the temples and then a massive pain that overtook his head. He knew he should stop, rest, but feared he’d never get up if he did. Finally, his body refused to obey him further, and he staggered forward, falling to the ground.

The next thing he knew, he heard voices. His eyelids fluttered halfway open. Two people, similar in size and form to his own, staring down at him, speaking in a language he didn’t understand. He closed his eyes, letting weariness overtake him. He felt himself being lifted off the ground just as he lapsed into unconsciousness again.

—  
Rosamund looked with curiosity at the stranger brought into her hut. Two of the villagers had been out in the woods when they found him, unconscious and alone. They carried him here, setting him on the cot, before giving a brusque farewell. As the village herbalist, she was expected to take care of anyone who came into her hut. She accepted this duty with quiet reverence. If the Lord had seen fit to send the sick and injured her way, she would do her best to heal them.

The man looked different from any other she’d seen. He had long, blond, straight hair. Pale skin, not like the ruddy complexions of the men and women in the village. She thought he was one of the barbarians she’d heard about until she unfastened his garment. She traced her finger over the thin, smooth clothing; it was much more luxurious than her own coarse woolen tunics. She wondered briefly if he was a noble of some sort to have such a fine garment. Three large veins, each the thickness of her index finger, ran vertically down his torso. Her eyes lingered on his unusual appearance before focusing on the large, mottled bruises on his abdomen. She gave a slight push, and heard a small gasp. Turning him over slightly, she could see more bruises, and a matching set of vessels along his back, leading up to his neck. Rosamund felt the stranger’s head. It was burning up. She had no time to waste.

From her cupboard, she pulled out pulled out small jars and pots. Willow bark for the fever, lavender and sage for pain. She applied them to his head and chest and waited, watching over him and praying. Hours later, he remained unconscious, taking shallow, raspy breaths, skin pale as a spectre. She needed to try something else. She applied a poultice of fennel and dill to his bruises. Cinnamon to the forehead. These weren’t the traditional remedies for contusions and fever, but she would try everything she had. Two years earlier, she lost her husband and baby to the pox. She’d failed them. She never wanted to fail anyone else.  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the stranger awoke. She was cooking stew and heard a groan coming from the cot. He was sitting up. He stared at her, eyes wide with curiosity. He rolled to his side, and pushed himself up on his forearm.

She shook her head. “No. You must rest.” He shouldn’t be up yet. He continued to right himself, a shaky arm reaching for the bedpost. In three large, quick steps, she was at the bedside. placing a firm hand on his shoulder. He obeyed her touch, captivated.

With her other arm, she touched his forehead. “Your fever’s gone, but you still need time to recover. A few more days.” She told him. His expression remained unchanged, but he did not move.

Rosamund went back to her cooking. He didn’t speak English, she supposed. It was of no matter. Some languages, those of wants and needs, were universal. He didn’t take his eyes off of her as she went to the cooking pot and portioned out a bowl of stew. She handed it to him with a gentle, kind smile, and he smiled back.

\--  
In the days that followed, Jas wandered around the village with the woman who had saved him. The pain in the middle was still present, though dulled, but his head had finally stopped throbbing. The people here stared at him with either curious glances and an occasional smile. He kept waiting for the facade to drop, for them to unleash their weapons, until the anticipation dwindled to a fizzle. He’d been told all his life the beings from other planets would slaughter him in a heartbeat. He’d been extraordinarily lucky to crash here. The people were warm and kind. Particularly the aformentioned woman, who kept giving him special smiles.

Jas didn’t know when he’d be rescued or even if he’d be rescued. Inner turmoil twisted within him, and it was more painful than his fading bruises. He’d committed to the cause, the enforcement and expansion of the Empire, but this place had a pull on him, with its simple rituals and simpler lifestyle. He’d never had a home; not really. After growing too old for his childhood creche, he’d gone straight to military academy, the career selected for him by the ruling Council. His only homes had been spaceships and the occasional outpost. But for the first time, the path he made would be his own.

One thing was certain: he felt remorse for the drone he’d released into the sky. If the Queen found this planet, she’d raze everything to the ground. 

—  
Sheffield, UK  
Present day

Graham tapped his foot as he sat in the waiting room of his oncologist’s office. He’d tried reading one of the magazines scattered around the table, but he’d been unable to focus on the words. _Relax_ , he told himself. _This is a routine follow-up. There’s nothing wrong._. Probably. With every sharp ache in his bones, every time he had difficulty catching his breath, he worried: the cancer had come back. Or spread. Metastasis, the technical term, though Grace had called them _mets_. She’d always come to these appointments; this was the first time he was here by himself. He had hoped Ryan would come with him, but he was on holiday with Aaron. Graham had told him to go ahead, he’d be all right. Now he tried to tell himself the same thing. This was a good thing, the lad spending time with his father. But he couldn’t help feel a sting of envy when he’d seen Ryan run out to Aaron’s car when they’d left yesterday morning.

“Mr. O’Brien? Come inside.” Dr. Obiasolu stuck his head out the door, his deep baritone filling the room. Graham always liked that he came out for the patients himself, rather than having a nurse fetch them. A good personal touch. 

Graham got settled in the uncomfortable plastic chair in his small but tidy office. His physician sat across from him, behind his desk. Despite his young age-he couldn’t be older than thirty-five- Dr. Obiasolu always had a bit of weariness about him, in his eyes. But today, as he asked Graham the familiar questions about his health, he noticed something different. A twinkle, almost. 

When they’d finished, Graham asked, “What’s it going to be today? Poking and prodding? A peek at the innards?” He hoped it wasn’t the CAT scan this time. The contrast he had to drink was disgusting.

“Oh no, no torture today. And probably not ever again.” Dr. Obiasolu looked up from his tablet, where he’d been writing notes. His glasses reflected the overhead light. “Just a blood test. Very simple.”

“That’s it? You don’t need to do anything more?” Graham said in surprise. He’d had countless blood tests before, measuring blood cell counts and looking for side effects and things. But his exams usually went far beyond that.

“It’s new technology. The OmniDX. We’ve just started using it a few months ago..” His doctor explained, unusually animated. “It can diagnose any condition based on a blood sample. It’s amazing, really. I don’t want to get your hopes up, but based on the test results, you may receive a medication that will help prevent the cancer from coming back. Several of my patients are on it already. It’s tailored to your genes, so it strikes the cancer right at its root.”

“And you’ve had good results?” Graham’s eyes widened. He thought of all the tests he had to endure while being treated, all the chemo side effects. He’d never wish it on anyone else, not even his worst enemy. He’d seen some advanced medical technology traveling with the Doctor, but he never expected to see it on Earth, now. 

“So far. The medicine’s not like chemo; there are no side effects.” Dr. Obiasolu assured him. “The NHS is requesting that we use it all over the country. Any other questions?”

His mind was still reeling as he shook his head. “Can’t think of any.”

“I must say I’m almost as excited about this as my patients. I’ve seen too many people horribly sick people, good people, cut down in the prime of their lives. There’s a term in oncology, it’s been around for many years, for a medicine that could target the disease without hurting healthy tissue-the magic bullet. I know it’s early, but I think this is it.” Dr. Obiasolu rose from his desk, smiling. “I’ll get the nurse to take your blood. Just relax here for a few minutes.”

—  
Ryan waved to his dad from his car, watching him drive away, Then slung his duffel bag over his shoulder before shoving his hands in his pockets. His dad had just dropped him off at Park Hill Estate, where he was about to head out in the TARDIS. He and Dad had just come back from a three day holiday in Brighton. He’d had fun. A lot of fun. But it didn’t keep doubt from nagging at him, especially now that the holiday was over. Dad was making good on his promise to spend time with him, but how long would that last? 

Dad didn’t ask him about his trips with the Doctor, and Ryan didn’t volunteer anything. It was an unspoken rule aboard to not share the details of their travels with outsiders. Ryan thought it would probably be fine to talk to Dad about it; he’d been aboard. But he didn’t want to share it with Dad. Traveling with his mates almost felt too private, too sacred, to share with an outsider.

He approached the TARDIS, but before he stepped in, he glanced in the direction of his house. Granddad had been a little broody before he left. He always did before he had his appointments with the cancer doctor. Ryan had meant to call to see how he went, but he’d lost track of time and by the time he and Dad got to their AirBnB every night, it was too late. He’d texted that morning, but hadn’t gotten an answer. Besides, Granddad seemed to be doing fine, healthwise. In fact, with all the running they did while traveling in the TARDIS, he was probably in better shape than ever. 

He pushed the unlocked door open and went inside to find Yaz on the floor with her knees to her chest, sitting next to the Doctor. More accurately, the Doctor’s legs. They were sticking out under the console, trousers up to her mid-calf. 

“Hey guys. Am I late?” He pulled out his phone before they could answer. No, 11:30 am, just as they’d planned.

“Hi Ryan! Ended up arriving early by mistake. Problem with the circuits!” the Doctor called. “Lookin’ at it now.”

“I saw the TARDIS outside and let myself in.” Yaz tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She’d been sitting next to the Doctor as she worked, talking- mostly just listening on Yaz’s part. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy to see Ryan, but she treasured this alone time with just her and the Doctor, soaking up every bit of her alien friend like a sponge. She couldn’t get enough-not of hearing about other worlds, of hearing funny stories. She’d been hoping, in these stolen, intimate moments, the Doctor would share more about herself, but so far, she hadn’t been forthcoming. 

“Nice to see the TARDIS never changes.” Ryan smirked. A burst of sparks came shooting out of the console, and he jumped back..

“Doctor! Are you all right?!” he asked.

“I’m fine. The Doctor scooted out, from under the console. She’d rolled up her sleeves, and some of the wires brushed against her bare forearms. She grabbed one, scrunching her nose. Ryan shuddered. She was risking shock like that. Probably. “More serious than I thought. Might be a spell before we can get underway.”

“No problem. Have you seen Granddad?”

“Nope. Thought Graham was with you,” Yaz said. The Doctor had scooted back under the console, resuming working with the wires.

“Nah, haven’t seen him yet. Just came back from holiday with Dad, remember?” He set down his bag.

“Oh, right! How did things go?”

“Good, good.” He nodded. “We went to a football match! Dad got great seats! We went to this little seafood place, and..”

He stopped when the door opened, to Graham entering the TARDIS. He’d felt bad about not calling, but if Granddad was bothered by his recent holiday, he didn’t show it. He was smiling from ear to ear, a spring in his step. He must have gotten good news. 

“Hi Graham,” Yaz spoke before he could. “How’ve you been?”

“Great!” he said. “Saw my doctor a few days ago. Still cancer free.”

“See? Nothing to worry about.” Ryan smiled, and felt something in him relax, a tension he didn’t even realize he was carrying. 

“There’s more good news: there’s a drug available that would prevent the cancer from recurring. It’s like, especially for my genes. It’s incredible!” He’d gotten the results from the blood test the next morning after seeing Dr. Obiasolu. The last few days had been like walking on clouds. Despite the damp cold of early spring, the world seemed so much brighter, more colorful, more vibrant.

“Wait, especially for your genes?” The Doctor was out from under the console in a flash. “How?”

“Nice of you to say hello, Doc.” He sighed. “Blood test. New technology. It’s a miracle. One sample can diagnose any disease, and they make the drug based on that sample.”

“The thing about miracles is they’re like mirages-not what they seem. Ever notice how they start with the same letters?” She looked pensive, shaking her head. “No. There’s no way that type of test can exist right now. Not in such a primitive civilization”

“You call this primitive?” Graham sputtered. He wasn’t actually upset about the knock on humans, but a tiny part of him worried the Doctor was right. “It was given by a real doctor and everything. He said the NHS was implementing the test all over.”

“Any idea who makes it?” the Doctor asked.

“The machine was called an OmniDX,” Graham said. “Don’t know anything else about it.”

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Ryan, na video he’d watched. He couldn’t remember what it said, but as far as he could remember, it wasn’t good.. He whipped out his phone. “Think I saw it on YouTube somewhere, some sort of debunker….”

“Oh, there’s all sorts of garbage on YouTube…”Graham started.

“No, this guy was proper smart,” He frowned. “That’s odd. Video has been deleted. ” He googled the name of the instrument. “There’s more though. The company that makes it is called Blue Sky Pharma.” . “Wow…just Googled them. There’s a ton of complaints about them. Some saying the blood tests aren’t accurate.” He scanned over the search results. “Complaints are from doctors. NHS knows the OmniDX is not accurate. They’re being forced to use it anyway. It saves them money.” He was so entranced in his phone, he didn’t notice Graham’s pained expression. Not accurate? Of course his test was accurate! It had to be.

“There’s more,” Yaz was also reading on her phone. “Looking at the company on Glassdoor. Lots of people complaining they’re incredibly secretive. Employees have to sign strict non-disclosure agreements, and they’ll fire people if they even suspect something’s been leaked.”

“That’s just how companies are these days,” Graham protested. “Never was one for corporate culture myself. Much better off working for Travel South Yorkshire.”

Without acknowledging him, Ryan continued. “Found an old article in the _Mirror_. The company stock dipped briefly a year ago after the company’s founder, Dr. Priyanka Bhaktar, resigned without notice.” He looked up, concerned. “She was just gone one day. No one has seen her since.”

Having gotten up, the Doctor slowly paced around the console room. “So a diagnostic capability far beyond what this civilization is capable of, a disappearing founder, and a company with a lot of secrets. We need to investigate.”

Graham waved her off with a hand. “Doc, You’re worried over nothing.” He’d just been given a stay of execution, and she was coming after him with the noose.

“Maybe,” she turned to him, equal parts curious and concerned. “But if there’s somethin’ wrong, they’re collecting the DNA of millions of people, including yours…and for what?”

He didn’t answer, meeting her gaze. She was worried, and he knew he should be too. But it felt, in a way, like this was yet another mystery for her to solve. And as much as he liked helping out when trouble arose, he didn’t like being part of a mystery. This wasn’t a puzzle for her to solve; this was his life.

She was probably wrong. She had to be wrong. 

After a beat of silence, she continued. “Here’s what we need to do. Yaz, phone the London police and see if they’ve found anything fishy about Blue Sky or Dr. Bhaktar. Graham, go home and fetch your prescription. Ryan, come with me.” Walking past her friends, she grabbed her coat off the rack. “We need to make a trip to hospital.”


	2. Chapter 2

Two hundred seventy kilometers away in London, Terrence Phillips was at Blue Sky Pharma, trying to best decide how to deliver some bad news.

He sat across from the CEO, Anne Ellsworth, in her spacious, luxurious office. Her assistant Kel, a long haired, blond, hulk of a man, sat in silence next to her. She was giving a lengthy talk about market expansion progress into the Americas, but he knew everything she was saying was a lie.

Phillips squinted at the light coming from the full wall length, tempered glass windows. As the longest serving member of Blue Sky’s board, he felt responsible for taking control of the situation. He’d never felt more excited by a startup as this one; the promise of personalized medicine was close to his heart. But for the past few months, he’d suspected things had not been going well. His suspicions were confirmed when he had a discreet talk with the heads of Accounting as well as Customer Service. They’d drifted far off course, and he was here to drop the anchor. 

There was a zero percent chance Anne was going to take his message well. Nobody would, really, but especially not her. She was driven, calculating, and fiercely determined, letting nothing or no one stop her from moving forward with the OmniDX. He wasn’t sure she had a single feeling in her body. The Ice Queen, some of the lads called her. She even looked like that girl from _Frozen_ -Anna? Elsa? His grandsons would know. She always insisted on doing things her way, and fought bitterly when instructed otherwise. He hated that it had to come to this, but he had a responsibility to the shareholders, if not the public.

He waited until she came to a break in conversation. “Anne, stop.”

Her lips curled into an O of confusion, only for a moment before recovering. “There’s more..” she continued, intending to steamroll him.

“No.” He matched her firmness, meeting her crystal blue eyes. “It’s come to my attention there have been complaints about the OmniDX test being inaccurate. Lots of complaints. We need to pull it off the market. Take six months, work out the bugs.” He felt a surge of relief. There, it was out.

Anne tented her fingers, a picture of composure. “We will do no such thing. We go forward.” Her husky, deep voice reminded him of Audrey Hepburn.

“I don’t understand any of this,” Phillips exclaimed. “Rapid expansion to Europe and America despite the complaints! And to top it all off, we’re losing money!” 

“At our last board meeting, I showed a 10 million pound profit,” she said.

“We both know that’s not true.” He leaned forward. “Now Anne, you know I believe in your vision. I’m even taking the medicine developed by your company for my Crohn’s Disease. But we can’t have a faulty test on the market. It would ruin the company’s reputation!”

Anne gave a slight nod to Kel before addressing Phillips again. “Don’t worry about the money. Everything is being taken care of.” As she spoke, Kel pulled out a small device the size of a calculator, studying the readings. Phillips was never sure what Kel actually did. At meetings, he mostly sat there, barely speaking. They looked a bit alike, he thought. Long blond hair, tall, pale skin. At their first meeting, he joked if they were related, but he’d been met with cold stares from both of them. Kel showed her the readout, and she smiled. He’d seen her smile at galas and board meetings, but this was different. It was cruel, predatory, like a cat about to pounce a mouse. 

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that.” He cleared his throat.”Anne, I hate to do this, but I’m going to the board and recommending you be removed as CEO.”

He’d expected her to argue, or start screaming at him, but her expression didn’t change. Strands of Anne’s long, blonde hair rose from her shoulders. Phillips’ pupils dilated. He remained rigid, motionless.

“You will not be removing me,” she commanded. “I have done an exemplary job as CEO and will continue to do so.”

“I will not be removing you.” He repeated in a lifeless monotone.

“We will not recall the OmniDX test and will proceed with the expansion as planned.”

“We will not recall.”

“In fifteen seconds you won’t remember we had this conversation, but you will remember what I said-and believe it.”

The strands of hair rested again on her shoulders. She gave a quick nod, and his posture and pupils reverted to normal. Phillips blinked. He couldn’t remember what had just happened; he must have been having what his wife called a senior moment. Then he remembered; he’d just been talking with Anne about the OmniDX tests and how well they’d been doing. He was pleased. “Well then, Anne, thank you for the update. Great work as always. I’ll update the rest of the board.”

“Wonderful!” She gave him a wide, plastic smile. “I look forward to getting their feedback. I’ll have Kel see you out.” 

After Kel returned from escorting Phillips out, he found Anne sitting back in her chair, lost in contemplation. “How many more?” she asked. She was not one to waste words.

“One other on the board. And the new Security Chief.” He lowered his voice. “My Queen, that was close. Are you worried?”

“Not at all, Kel.” She stared into the space where Phillips had been, hand in the air, idly clicking a pen. “But he’s right. The money’s running out faster than we expected. Bloody humans, so inefficient. We’ll have to tap some new sources.”

“Will we be able to implement the plan?” Kel raised an eyebrow. He shouldn’t be questioning her, normally he wouldn’t be allowed to, but his curiosity got the better of him. 

“Don’t worry.” she turned to him, showing the same smile she showed Phillips. “I have everything under control.”

\--

Back in Sheffield, the Doctor and Ryan were walking down the long, narrow hallway of St. Albans’ Hospital. It was an older building, with linoleum tile and dark brown framed doorways. In Urgent Care they stood next to a clanky radiator.

“What are we going to do?” he asked.

“You’re going to be patient today.” She gestured to the sign in sheet “Put down some symptoms. We’ll see how the OmniDX works.”

Ryan did as she said, scribbling down his name and NHS number. In the midst of writing, a thought occurred to him. “Wait, Doctor. Does that mean they’re going to take my blood?” His chest tightened.

“That’s what I’m plannin’ on, yeah.” She had her hands in her pockets, her eyes darting around. On the lookout for clues, as always.

“Ummm…” he stepped away from the counter, form half completed, heart pounding. Needles. Not needles. Nan was the only one he’d let stick him, and then, only with a great deal of reluctance. “I, I have a better idea. What if we search the hospital? Maybe we’ll find something.”

She cocked her head. “I need to see it in action, Ryan. What they’re doin’ with the samples, it could be important.”

“Can you be the patient instead?” His voice wavered slightly.

“They can’t take my blood. I’m an alien, who knows what they’d find in it.” The Doctor peered at him with knitted brows. “What’s up?” When he said nothing, she pushed further. “Ryan, what is it?”

“I don’t want to do it.” He felt ridiculous telling her.. “See, the thing is…I’m afraid of needles.”

She scrunched her nose. “Needles?”

“Yeah. Have been since I was a little. I remember this big nurse, kept poking me over and over, yelling at me to be still. ” His voice quivered as he tried to keep his composure. Nan had told him a few years ago the doctors had had a hard time trying to diagnose his dyspraxia, and they’d insisted on doing many blood tests.

“I’m sorry, but we have to.” She looked him in the eyes. “Ryan Sinclair, you are brave. You’ve faced killer robots, the death eyed Turtle Army, Graham when he runs out of bread for sandwiches. You can handle a tiny needle. It won’t hurt ya. Okay, it will hurt, but only for a second.”

“I know.” He kept eyeing the door. “There’s got to be another way to do this. Maybe we go back to the TARDIS, get Yaz…”

“Mr. Sinclair?” the nurse called.

“Right here!” The Doctor said, pointing to him with a smile. Ryan shot her a dirty look as they were led to the exam room.

—  
It was just his luck, Ryan thought, today of all days, St. Albans would have a short waiting time. The physician assistant, a tall, slender man, was in the exam room before he’d had a chance to think of a way out of this.

“What are your symptoms?” He wasted no time.

Ryan couldn’t remember what he’d written down. “Ummm…cough, feeling like I need to throw up.” The Doctor was nodding to him, smiling .He tried not to think about the blood test. Maybe he’d get lucky and they’d decide he didn’t need it.

“Yeah, threw up twice on the way over. Also, he’s having some abdominal pain.” The Doctor added.

The assistant gave her an odd look. “And who are you?”

“Oh, just a friend.” she smiled.

Not entirely convinced, he turned back to his tablet. “Your pulse is a little high. Any history of heart troubles?”

Of course it was high. His heart threatened to be out of his chest.“Umm, no.” 

The assistant looked up. “I’m concerned it could be influenza. It’s a little late in the season, but we should have you checked. I’ll send the nurse in to get a blood sample.”

After he left, Ryan collapsed on to the exam table, paper rustling as blood pounded in his ears.   
“Doctor, I can’t do this!”

“Yes, you can. Ryan, look at me.” Her expression was fierce, eyes dark. “You are strong, you are resilient. It’s Graham that’s at stake. If Blue Sky is doing something with his DNA, we need to know about it.”

“But won’t they have my DNA too?!” At the moment, the DNA was the least of his worries, but he hoped the panic in his voice would convince her.

“I’ll make sure they don’t use it for nefarious purposes. Promise.” When he didn’t respond, she grabbed his hand. “I’ll be right here with you.” Too overwhelmed to speak, he gave it a squeeze. “It’ll be okay. You can do this.” she murmured. “Ryan, you can do this.”

He sat up when he heard the nurse come in. She said in a weary voice, “Right arm or left?”

“Umm, left, I guess.” His throat was so dry he could barely get the words out.

Without another word, the nurse wrapped the rubber tourniquet around his arm, leaving an uncomfortable tightness. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing and the Doctor’s voice, a steady murmur through the haze of anxiety,“That’s it. You’re doing great.” He felt his stomach lurch at the sent of the alcohol on his skin. A sharp intake of breath with the sting of the needle. He gripped her hand tighter.”Look at you. You’re fine. She’s almost done.”

In a moment, it was over and he felt the plaster being taped to his elbow. He didn’t open his eyes until he heard the clop of her shoes moving away and the door clicking shut behind her. He opened them to the Doctor, looking pleased. 

“See? You did it. Nothing to it. Easy.”

“Yeah.” Was all he could say, letting out slow, shaky breaths. It was done, but it hadn’t been easy. Not by a long shot. And what business did she have smiling, after what she’d put hin through? He couldn’t help feeling pushed too far. If she’d wanted to, she could have done something different. “Now what?”

“Let’s take a look at your blood. She fed it into this cassette.” The Doctor walked over to the counter next to the porcelain sink. The cassette, roughly two inches on each side, was in a metal tray.Pulling out the sonic screwdriver, she held up the cassette, scanning it. Ryan watched from the table, not eager to see any bodily fluids. “It’s made of an ordinary plastic, interior covered with heparin to prevent clotting. Nothin’ unusual.”

“So I went through all that for nothing?” he didn’t bother to disguise his annoyance.

“We did learn what the blood test isn’t.” She replied. “Maybe we need to see the OmniDX in action.” She saw the weary nurse walk by in the hall and called “Oi, nurse. My friend and I, we’re really curious about this new blood test machine. Remarkable breakthrough.”

“You ain’t meant to be handling that!” she snapped to life.

“Oh, sorry!” the Doctor dropped the cassette back in the tray like a hot potato. Grumbling, the nurse came in to grab the tray. “Anyway, the machine, the OmniDX, can we see it??”

The nurse shrugged. “We don’t analyze the blood here. It’s all shipped to the company in London. They have the machines there.”

“Brilliant!” the Doctor grinned. “London! Love London.”

Unimpressed, the nurse stomped off. Ryan pulled on his coat, ignoring the residual trembling in his arms. “Let’s just get out of here.” He didn’t want to be subjected to any other tests the Doctor had in mind.

—  
Yaz was not having much more luck than her friends.

She was at a desk at work, calling yet another London precinct about Dr. Bhaktar and Blue Sky Pharma, and currently on hold. There had been no records of arrests or suspicious activity at the pharmaceutical company. There was a missing persons report out for Dr. Bhaktar, but so far all the precincts she’d called had no information.

She drummed her fingers on the desk as she waited. It felt strange to be here in her street clothes. She wasn’t supposed to be here; it was her day off. Every time she came into the department, it felt small. The way Sheffield itself felt small, stifling. Just a year ago, green to the job, it had all seemed so much larger. What was solving a petty theft compared to stopping an alien menace? Sheffield increasingly felt like small potatoes to the rest of the universe.

“DC Simpson here,” the deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

“DC Simpson! Hi! This is PC Khan, Hallamshire Police.” She did her best to sound friendly. “Following up on the disappearance of a Dr. Priyanka Bhaktar. Disappeared last March. I was told by a DC Talbot you might have some information.”

She heard the click of a keyboard. “What does this have to do with you?” 

“Just investigating.” She kept her tone light and cheery. One of the things she’d learned from traveling with the Doctor was you were more likely to get cooperation with friendliness.

“This isn’t your turf, Hallamshire.” He grumbled. “But since you’re here…cousin reported her missing March 10th. Her flat was ransacked, probably a robbery. No further updates.”

Her face fell. “So no one’s followed up since then?”

“No. Now if you’ll excuse me….”

Yaz wasn’t giving up. “Don’t you think it’s strange, the founder of a multi-million pound company just disappears like that? Did you take fingerprints at her flat? Look for her car?”

“What was your name again? PC Khan? You think I’m a bloody moron? You think this my first day on the force? We did a full investigation. There was no sign of her. Now stop bothering me.”   
The phone slammed down.

She let out a sigh, before calling the precinct again, and asked for another detective. While she was on hold, yet again, she was approached by a Superintendent Thomas, her boss. Her heart sank. Bad news.

“Yasmin, what are you doing?” He glared down at her.

She smiled, trying to put him at ease. “Oh, just came in to make a quick phone call.”

He didn’t smile back. “My office, now.” Her face flushed as she followed him. He slammed the door shut after her, sending papers on his desk flying.

“I just got a message from London. You’ve been calling all over, asking about some cold case.” His bald pate had turned red in seconds, and he was practically screaming. “The London coppers already think we’re a bunch of sods, you’re proving them right! And he mentioned something about you demanding they investigate some company?” he squinted at a sheet on his desk. “Blue Pearl?”

“Blue Sky Pharma,” she said softly.

“Yes, Blue Sky, whatever,” his attention focused back on her. “Yasmin, I have no idea what’s gotten into you! You know you’re not supposed to be using police resources when you’re off duty. And I’ve been getting complaints! The other officers say you’ve been coming in late, and when you’re here, your attention is somewhere else.”

“Sorry, sir,” she said, trying to sound contrite. “Just been..a little distracted lately. It’s personal.” 

His expression didn’t change. “Personal gets left at the door. You’re here to serve the public.” He nearly growled.

“I know.” She nodded quickly.

“You are better than this, Yasmin.”

“Right. I will.” 

He scribbled furiously on the paper in front of him. “Giving you a written warning. Next time there will be serious consequences. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.” She tried to sound as sincere as possible. “Anything else?”

He thrust the paper at her. “Get out of here. And do not use the phones while you’re off duty ever again!”

Once she was out of Thomas’ office, she closed her eyes and let out a breath. Vaguely aware her other officers were staring at her, she went back to the desk to grab her things, shoulders slumped. She’d never been in trouble at work before. She knew she should be concerned, but right now she was more worried about letting down her mates than her boss. 

—  
Graham sat alone in the console room, flipping through his phone. He’d done his own reading about Blue Sky Pharma, in addition to contacting them, and it had given him a bit of hope to cling to. He liked to believe the best about people, he told himself, unless they gave him a reason to be suspicious. It seemed like the Doctor did too, immediately befriending them, happily greeting strangers-even though she’d been around the universe enough to meet a lot of unsavory beings.

When Ryan and the Doctor returned, he studied them, looking for some tell tale sign of evidence against the OmniDX while hoping for none. “Find anything?” he tried to sound casual.

She shook her head. “The OmniDX machines aren’t onsite at hospitals. Did you bring the pills?”   
He handed her the bottle. She twisted open the cap and shook the pills into her palm. “There’s not that many.”

“I only need one per week. My doctor said it was extended release, something like that.” he said. “You’re not going to take them yourself, are you?” 

“Tried that once, takin’ a strange pill. Grew a ton of fur all over my body.” She paused in thought. “Now that I think about it, might have been the basis for Bigfoot. Best not to do that again. Let’s go to my workshop.” With quick steps, she was headed down the corridor.

The men had never been in the workshop before. The Doctor usually worked there after they’d gone to sleep, and when Graham stepped in, he saw why. The place was such a mess, he could barely walk. Various machines and gadgets were strewn all over the floor and on the workbenches, and cords hung from the ceiling. Ryan, who was taller, had to duck to avoid them.

“Sorry about the mess!” she said. “Just have too much stuff.”

“Doc, the TARDIS interior is giant. Why don’t you just make the workshop bigger?” Graham stepped over what he hoped was just a glowing rock.

“She won’t let me. Doesn’t want to be filled with more junk.” The Doctor looked around, poking at different piles, until she found a silver cylinder, and placed the pill inside.

Ryan’s phone buzzed. “It’s Yaz. I’ll let her know we’re back here.”

The Doctor nodded, focused on the cylinder. “This is a particle analyser. Top of the line in the 46th century. There’s a laser inside, which breaks the pill apart, and it will tell me what all the components are..” They heard the whir of the machine powering up, a _ping_ , and then a wall of text was projected from the cylinder on to the wall.

“Blimey! All that’s in my pills?” asked Graham. He tried to read it, but it was too fast.

“That’s just the quantum computations.” The Doctor studied the screen. “Ethyl cellulose, blue dye, lactose, stearic acid…all standard ingredients in tablets. But that,” she pointed to a cluster of numbers. “Is unidentified. No idea what it is.”

“Perhaps it’s a brand new drug?” Graham volunteered.

“Yeah, but I can’t even get a molecular structure. The particle analyser should be able to tell me somethin’. It’s very odd.” She scrunched her nose, fixed to the screen.

Yaz walked into the workshop. “Dr. Bhaktar has vanished, and the London police are doing nothing.” She announced, a mixture of disgust and resignation. She waited for the Doctor to acknowledge what she’d said, but the alien was buried in whatever she was reading on the monitor. Was the Doctor disappointed in her?

“While you lot were out, I also did some research on Blue Sky Pharma,” Graham said proudly. He pulled up his phone to read from the company’s website. “It’s run by a woman named Anne Ellsworth. She and Dr. Bhaktar built it up from a little startup to a multi-billion dollar company in just a few years. Made her one of the richest women in the country.”

“A woman running a company in a field dominated by men.” Yaz smiled, impressed. He smiled at her. Was she on Graham’s side in this? 

He continued. “They’ve issued these millions of blood tests to people, and the personalized medicine to over fifty thousand people so far. They predict they’ll save half a million lives over the next five years. See Doc, they’ve got an evil plan to cure illness.” 

The Doctor grabbed the phone out of his hand to read it over.. “Whatever’s going on at Blue Sky, she might not be aware of it…or she might be in on it. We need to get in there. Talk to her.”

“Thought you might say that,” he replied, feeling a little smug. For once, he was one step ahead of her. “Tried calling Blue Sky reception and asking for information, but she says they only give appointments to investors.”

“Well, then, let’s go undercover!” She smiled, clasping her hands. “We’ll go to London, head to Blue Sky, and I’ll tell the company I’m a potential investor.”

“What, you?” Graham teased. “Doc, you don’t know anything about money. Remember last week, you tried paying 100 quid for chips?”

She crossed her arms. “Maybe I wanted two helpings.”

“You also need someone to talk to them who can sound normal.” Ryan pointed out. “ And that gives you the chance to look around the company, find out what they’re up to.”

“Yeah, not terribly normal, me,” she admitted. “Got anyone in mind?”

He looked at Graham. “Granddad would be perfect. He did great at Kerblam.”

“Ta, Ryan,” he said.

“And you even look the part.” Ryan added. “Investment firms are full of old white guys.”

“Who are you calling old?!” he sputtered.

“Great!” the Doctor ignored his outburst. “Let’s call them and arrange for a visit.”

While Graham called, she addressed Ryan and Yaz. “You two can pose as employees while we’re there.”

“I’ll go to IT. Whatever information they’re collecting, IT will have it,” Ryan said. He didn’t add he wanted to stay as far away from any blood or needles as possible.

“Good idea.” The Doctor nodded vigorously. “Yaz, can you go in the labs? See what kind of work they’re doing.”

“Yeah! I can do that!” She beamed as the Doctor nodded with approval. Yaz wouldn’t let her down again. She couldn’t.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ryan raised an eyebrow. “They’ll have you pegged as an impostor in seconds.”

“Oi! I did very well in Year 10 Chemistry,” she replied. “And what do you know about programming?”

“Some of my mates work in IT. I can fake the lingo. C Sharp, ASP dot net, My Sequel…” he grinned.

Graham shut off his phone. “They’re eager to talk to me. Have an appointment on Thursday at 9.”

“In two days,” the Doctor said. “Should give me some time to work on the transport circuits in the TARDIS. In the meantime, let’s see if we can find out anything else about Blue Sky Pharma.”


	3. Chapter 3

Graham smoothed out the creases of his suit as he stood in the car park at Blue Sky Pharma. It was the nicest one he owned. He hadn’t worn it since a family wedding a few years ago, and he’d lost some weight since then. Probably from running around with the Doctor, but he hoped it wasn’t actually from cancer. No, he thought. The blood test would have caught it. He hoped. He went to the boot to grab his briefcase. The transport circuits in the TARDIS were still not working, so they’d had to drive to London. 

“You look nice, Graham,” Yaz was wearing a red jumper and black slacks. They hadn’t been able to find information on the Blue Sky dress code, but she thought this was a safe choice. 

“Thanks,” he smiled. “Wanted to look like I actually had some money. Doc, I’m surprised you didn’t want to wear something more…suitable. Aren’t you worried about standing out?”

“Doesn’t matter. I can fit in anywhere I need to be.” She’d sprung out of the car when they’d first arrived, having had to sit and do nothing but chatter for two hours. She’d fidgeted with the radio and the temperature settings for something to do, and it had driven him crazy. Now she stood, in her blue trousers and striped T-shirt, grey coat flowing behind her.

“Never had to dress like this at the warehouse.” Ryan lamented. He was wearing a pinstriped dress shirt and khakis. He looked to the Blue Sky headquarters. A former factory on the outskirts of London, the brown brick jutted above the otherwise empty landscape. No other buildings were within walking distance. The rest of the area, other than the car park, was surrounded by grass and a few trees, the first leaves of spring budding. He was still a little miffed about being pushed into the blood draw the other day. He tried telling himself it wasn’t fair to her; she hadn’t known about his needle phobia. But the doubt creeped in at the edges of his mind. He thought back to their conversation on Desolation. Could they trust her? And he had trusted her, unwavering, until that point.

But on Desolation as now, she was their best chance at figuring out what was happening.

“Look at the size of this place. Are we going to be able to search all of it?” He addressed the question to no one in particular, knowing full well she wouldanswer.

“Probably not,” The Doctor said. “Graham and I are going to meet with the executives. While he talks to them, I’ll go lookin’ around in the offices. Text us if you see anything unusual.” She handed them each a billfold. “Psychic paper for both of you. Congratulations, new employees.” 

—  
Inside, Graham and the Doctor were instructed to stay near the front desk by a young but frazzled receptionist. He sat as the Doctor paced around, investigating the chairs, the coffee table, and even the bland white walls.

“What are you doing? We don’t want to draw suspicion to ourselves!” he hissed.

“Looking for anything that shouldn’t be here. Alien materials, radioactivity, biologically active furniture.” She studied her sonic. “Nope. Everything normal.”

The second time in a week he was in a waiting room, he thought. This one at least had cushioned chairs and more recent magazines. He pulled out his phone to have the appearance of looking important. “No signal.” He showed her.

“Hmmm. Wonder if they’ve blocked wifi here, keep anything getting out that shouldn’t,” she remarked.

“Like patient data?” He volunteered.

“Like secrets.”

Before he could say anything else, a young brunette appeared in the doorway. “Mr. O’Brien?” she called.

“That’s me,” he stood up, extending his hand.

“I’m Francine, Ms. Ellsworth’s PA.” she looked at the Doctor. ”And who is this?”

She thrust out her hand.“Dr. Martha Jones, scientific advisor,” In a low voice, Graham heard her mutter, “Got it right that time. I think.” He chuckled.

Their jovial mood darkened when they saw the large blond man in navy to the side of the PA, who gave them a menacing glare.

“Who’s he?” Graham nodded to the man.

“This is Bim, Security. You’ll be escorted by him at all times while you’re on the premises,” said Francine. “Follow me.”

Past reception, the building looked more like its factory forerunner, with brick walls, narrow hallways, and large exposed ductwork on the ceiling. Bim followed Graham and the Doctor closely at their heels as Francine led them down the hallway. “Is this really necessary, having a hired goon?” the Doctor asked. “You’ve got science here, not military secrets.”

“We take theft of intellectual property seriously. There have been some incidents already.” She opened the conference room door to reveal a large, walnut table surrounded by leather rolling chairs. The company logo-the words Blue Sky Pharma in blue, written on a cloud, were emblazoned on the wall to the left of the door. Floor to ceiling windows occupied the opposite wall. 

“Have a seat,” Francine gestured to the chairs. ”Here are some non-disclosure forms to fill out for each of you. Also, I’ll need your phones. No photography or recording is allowed.” Graham looked to the Doctor, willing to follow her queues. She shrugged and handed it over. He reluctantly did the same.

“Thank you.” Francine smiled. “Ms. Ellsworth and the leadership team will be in shortly.”

“Pretty posh, isn’t it, Doc?” Graham tried to sound casual, but his the tightness in his stomach had returned. Large security men and surrendering their phones? It was practically jail. Taking a cue from the Doctor, he ignored the non-disclosure agreement in front of him. He watched as she got up and looked around the conference room, repeating her scans.

She looked at the sonic, frowning. “Picking up a faint trace of a psionic wave.”

The tightening in his stomach became a vise. “Is that bad?”

“It’s definitely not native to Earth. I’ll pop out and find the source.” But when she opened the door, she came face to face with Bim, standing guard.

“Can we help you?” he glared.

She gave him a sheepish smile. “Just need to use the loo, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll show you where it is.” It was a command, not an offer. She looked back at Graham, helpless, before being pulled away by the guard.

—  
Yaz grabbed a white coat from a pegboard and knocked on the door marked LAB. A tall man with a scraggly goatee answered. “Hello?”

“Hi! Yasmin Khan reporting for duty.” She flashed the psychic paper. “It’s my first day.”

“Tom.” The man took it and huffed. “Nobody told me about a new employee. Typical. But we definitely need the help. Come on in.” Dark circles lined his eyes. “Maybe once you’re up to speed, I can stop working twelve hour days.”

The lab looked nothing like her science classes at school. Glass bottles and foil were littered everywhere. The other workers-five in total-were bent over their benches in near silence. They barely registered her presence, giving no more than a polite smile before returning to their work, except for one, a tall, brown-skinned woman at the end of a bench. She gave a brief wave, then turned back to her task, leaning over her bench.

“I’ll have you work with Famidah today,” Tom said, nodding to her. “Let me know if you have any questions,” he added, in a tone that meant she shouldn’t.

So far, the lab staff didn’t see particularly forthcoming, or friendly, for that matter. Her heart sank. She was not off to a good start, “Hi, Famidah,” she said. “What would you like me to do?”

“Just watch me, for now. Today I’m coating plates.” She gestured to a stack of shallow plastic boxes on her bench without looking up. “Need to do fifty of them today. I’ve got my primary antibodies and I’m applying ten micrograms per mill.” As she spoke, Yaz tried to place her accent. Upper class Karachi, she was nearly certain.

“Antibodies? Are you studying germs or something here?”

Famidah laughed. “No, for ELISA.” She picked up what looked like a large pen with a small, plastic cone at the end, and started withdrawing clear liquid from a glass jar.

Yaz felt way over her head. This was far beyond Year 10 Chemistry. “What’s Elisa?”

That got her attention. Famidah stopped what she was doing and gave her an odd look. “Oh, not something you worked with before?”

She shook her head. “No, never heard of it.”

The briefest moment of surprise was followed by a tentative smile. “ELISA’s a type of assay. These antibodies are for a protein called RTC-168. We coat these plates here with the antibodies, then we apply a sample of blood serum. If RTC-168 is in the blood sample, it sticks to the antibody. Then we apply a secondary antibody with a fluorescent marker, and we measure the fluorescence. That will tell us if RTC-168 is present in the blood sample, and how much there is.”

“Oh, right,” Yaz replied. “And this protein, RTC-168, what does it do?” she felt incredibly stupid.

“I don’t know. Never heard of it before. We coat the plates, we do the ELISAs here, but then Tom reports everything to the Chief Medical Officer.” As she talked, she grabbed one of the boxes-a plate, Yaz corrected herself-removed the lid, and started discharging small amounts of liquid into the straight lines of shallow indentations. “At first I thought it was because I’m new here, only been here three months, but none of us do. I mean, the higher-ups do, but they always tell us it’s confidential.”

“Isn’t that kind of odd that you don’t know?” Yaz asked.

“I’m not sure, really. My last job was in an academic lab. Things in industry are different,” she kept her eyes on the plate, focused on dispensing the liquid

“How is it different?” Yaz focused on Famidah, looking for tell tale giveaways. “Anything else unusual?”

Famidah stopped pipetting, her eyes widened. “No, but…” she trailed off, speaking rapidly in Urdu.

“ _Wait, slow down._ ” Yaz replied. Her Urdu was rusty. Noni had insisted she’d learn it as a child, but she’d mostly wanted to play with her Webkinz. “ _Can you repeat that?_ ”

She leaned in close, speaking slowly. “ _Sorry. This place is full of snitches. If you speak badly about the company, you’re fired. But I’m pretty sure nobody else in this room speaks Urdu_.” 

“ _It’s very strange here. Extremely secretive. One department doesn’t know what the other is doing. There’s these big blond men who are constantly around, watching us. And people just disappear like that.”_ She snapped her fingers. _“We’re all overworked and exhausted, but the bosses keep demanding more, more, more._ ” She looked down, sighing. “ _I took this job because it sounded exciting and I wanted to make a difference. But it wasn’t what I expected at all_.”

That was definitely suspicious. “ _Can you quit?_ ” 

“ _No. Don’t have enough in savings to cover a month’s rent, and no time to look for another job.”_

_“What about Anne? Anything about her?_ ” 

At the mention of Anne’s name, Famidah’s eyes darted around the room. Yaz turned her head slightly, and noticed Tom, arms folded, watching them. 

Famidah gave him a quick smile. “ _See her at company meetings. She’s intense. Scary. Screamed at a whole department for ten minutes for not meeting their production quotas._ ” Keeping her eyes on Tom, she switched back to English. “And that’s one plate finished.” She pushed the plate to the side, then took another from the stack. ”Why don’t you try the next one?” 

Yaz hesitated. “Sure, can I take that thing?” 

“You mean pipette?” 

“Yeah, sorry.” Holding the pipette, she tried to follow Famidah’s instructions. She missed the first set of indentations-wells, she learned they were called, then put the cones in the wrong place. Famidah huffed, trying not to let her impatience show. When she stepped away for a moment, Yaz pulled out her phone to text the rest of the group, but the signal was blocked. She hoped Ryan never found out about her undercover ineptitude. He would mock her for ages. 

  
Ryan leaned back in his chair, glancing at his cube mate before returning his attention to the top of the line desktop computer. He was an undercover expert. When he’d spouted his list of carefully curated buzzwords off to the supervisor, she smiled and immediately put him to work. Yaz was probably freaking out right now. 

Of course, that didn’t mean he _actually_ knew how to do any programming. He typed in a bunch of phrases that looked like code. He’d heard one of his mates talk about Googling examples of code, but he found he had no internet access here. The supervisor explained it was only given to a privileged few to prevent “company secrets” from leaking. Whenever his cube-mate left to get coffee, he got up and took a look around. He couldn’t go very far; the IT department was keycard access only, something the psychic paper couldn’t provide. So far, he’d found cubes identical to his own, except for coffee mugs and motivational posters. He’d tried engaging some of the other employees in conversation, but they were too busy, and all but shooed him away. It was like being back at the warehouse, with a constant number of packages to process, but without the joking around. 

“Hey, new guy.” Seamus, one of the other IT workers, stuck his head in. “Want to see something cool?” He’d seemed like the most talkative so far, so Ryan wanted to stay close. 

“Yeah!” He got up and followed Seamus to a room in the back. He’d tried opening it before, when he was looking around, but it was locked. Seamus swiped it open with his keycard. The room was bare except for a large console with hundreds of buttons. A large monitor, nearly half the size of the wall, perched above the console. 

“Whoa! That’s sick!” Ryan looked up in awe. He’d never tell the Doctor, but it put the TARDIS console to shame. This was what a proper spaceship console should look like. “What’s it do?" 

“Don’t know. I worked on the wiring. Teddy in Engineering added a bunch of software. Everybody’s worked on a different part of the hardware. The boss, won’t tell us; she says it’s proprietary. That’s her favorite word! But I’ve heard rumors it’s a genetic analysis machine, the most sophisticated in the world. They’ll use it to analyze blood samples and predict diseases before they even happen.” 

Ryan frowned in thought. He didn’t know what aliens would do with human genetic information, but he guessed it wasn’t good. He got a closer look at the console. None of the buttons was labeled. There were a few switches and dials. Below the monitor were a few smaller displays, all unlit. She needed to see it. He pretended to casually to look at his phone. “Hey, it’s lunch time. Think I’ll go out and grab something.” The perfect exit. He’d leave Blue Sky and find his friends. 

Seamus laughed. “Mate, we’ve only got twenty minutes for lunch. If we go now, we should have enough time to get to the cafeteria before the lines get too long. Shall we?” 

Ryan tried not to act surprised as he followed Seamus out of the console room. Twenty minutes? Even at the warehouse he got thirty. \-- 

Graham tried not to fall asleep during the endless Powerpoint presentation. Why did they have to turn out the lights? He tried to be optimistic; everything in their slick, polished presentation seemed wonderful, but the focus on their movements disturbed him, combined with the strange signal the Doctor had picked up earlier. A feeling, low in his gut, that she had been right, as much as he hated to admit it. 

They’d moved on to financial projections and things that were above his head. He focused on smiling and nodding in the right places, but inside, he tried not to slip into despair. He snuck glances at the Doctor, who was studying each slide carefully. They’d been given a tour of the company, but they’d been closely followed by Bim, and another, similarly looking blond man, Kel. No chance for the Doctor to investigate on her own. Also, they’d only gone to Marketing, IT, and Engineering. He’d caught a brief glimpse of Ryan, who gave him a little smile before clacking away on his keyboard. 

The next few slides were about personalized medicine, and he didn’t understand a word. He kept his eye on the others in the room. Words made it easy to obfuscate; sometimes people were easier to read. Starting with Anne. She’d greeted them both with warmth, but there was a hard edge about her. She was sharply dressed in a black blazer, cream shell blouse, and black slacks perfectly tailored to her long legs. She’d done all the talking during the meeting. On either side of her were Bim and Kel, another tall blond man. The executives, five in total, sat in silence, with an occasional nod or affirmation. They all who wore plastic smiles, as they looked to Anne. Graham couldn’t tell if they were in awe of her or afraid of her. 

The slide show ended with the company slogan “Working together as one for the good of all” in large letters across the screen. 

As the lights went up, Anne asked “Any questions?” 

“I do!” The Doctor’s hand shot up. “Can we see one of the OmniDX machines?" 

“Sorry, no access to proprietary technology.” Anne frowned. 

“But we signed the non-disclosure thingies.” They actually hadn’t, but he wasn’t going to point that out. 

“That agreement only covers the preceeding presentation. Not the OmniDX.” She replied, staring at the Doctor. “You’ll see the technology once you’ve invested.” 

“Can we see where the medicines are made?” she asked. 

“Only R&D for the pharmaceuticals is done here. The manufacturing is performed in Puerto Rico, as it says there.” She pointed to the handouts in front of them. 

The Doctor raised her hand again. “How are you able to analyze so many different diseases with just a few millitres of blood? Do you test for everything?” 

“Again, that’s confidential.” Anne crossed her arms. She sounded strained, as if she was trying to hold back irritation from answering the Doctor’s questions. Graham knew that feeling all too well. 

“Why is everything so private? There’s at least ten diseases here,” the Doctor pointed to the handout, “that have either no known diagnostic test, or very complicated ones. Motor neuron disease, myalgic encephalitis, lupus…why not share that at least with the rest of the world? You’d still have the patent on the OmniDX technology. That slogan of yours, ‘working together as one for the good of all’? Doesn’t seem like it’s for the good of all.” She addressed the other meeting participants. They did not speak, instead looking to Anne for her answer. 

“That’s our goal, Dr. Jones. We can provide the good for everyone.” Her voice was smooth, husky, the irritation unmasked. 

“Well, that sounds reasonable. No, that’s not it. What’s the word? Rubbish.”She leaned forward, smiling, but with menace. “There’s something weird going on here, and I don’t like it.” 

Anne didn’t flinch. “It’s how we work here. And if you don’t like it, you can take your money elsewhere.” 

“I think we will. Come on Graham, let’s get out of here.” She rose from her chair. 

“I agree with you, Doc. I don’t think this investment will suit our needs.” He tried to recover, but she was already headed to the door. Bim blocked her exit. 

“I’ll see you out.” he commanded. 

Outside the building, Graham let his shoulders slump as he took slow steps back to the car. He remarked tentatively, “Well, they seemed paranoid about privacy.” 

“Right.” The Doctor, on the other hand, maintained her usual energy. “And did you notice anything unusual about the rest of the leadership team? Besides Anne and her muscle guys.” 

Graham thought for a moment. “They all seemed really…young, didn’t they?.” 

“Exactly. Don’t think any of them, including Anne and her big blond shadows, were older than thirty. Seen it many times, numerous companies across the universe. Hire young people, without much experience. They won’t notice something isn’t right.” 

He nodded, half lost in thought. If the company wasn’t legit, if the test wasn’t real…he was still at risk of his cancer returning. “Let’s see what the kids find out.” 

-  
It took another hour for Ryan and Yaz to return to the car. “Sorry, had to make a convincing excuse to leave. Told them I wasn’t expecting to stay so late.”” Ryan explained.  
They compared notes as the Doctor listened, taking in everything they said. 

"So, secret labs with limited access, traces of a psion wave, one team doesn’t know what the other is doing.” The Doctor gestured with her hands. “ Something big is happening here. We go back in tonight, when everyone’s gone home.” 

“Sounds like we might be waiting a while,” Ryan said. “Seamus mentioned it’s not unusual to work ten, twelve hour days.” 

“Same for the lab,” Yaz agreed, sinking back into her seat. Pretending to be a scientist was exhausting, the same motions over and over. When she closed her eyes, she could only see the pipette and the plates. She’d never complain about having to do police paperwork again. 

“Looks like we’ll be here a while then.” The Doctor had her eyes fixed towards the building. “We’ll wait.” 

“Any chance we can grab some supper, Doc?” Graham said. If he didn’t remind her, she’d forget. “It sounds like it’s going to be a late night.” 

Ryan and the Doctor rolled their eyes, but Yaz brightened up. “It’s not a bad idea,” she said.  
“Probably looks suspicious, the four of us sitting in the carpark. Wouldn’t be surprised if they did security sweeps out here.” 

"Good point. Let’s come back in a bit.” The Doctor settled into her seat. “Anyone up for Chinese?” 

—  
Famidah watched from behind a pillar as the car with Yasmin drive out of the car park with a quiet rumble of the engine, ducking as the headlights flashed. She tried to get a look at Yasmin’s...friends? associates? and made a note of the license plate. She’d never seen any of them before. Famidah wasn’t sure of many things in life, but she was sure of this: Yasmin Khan was no scientist. She’d never held a pipette or performed a dilution in her life. 

Yasmin was a liar. And she was up to something. Famidah was going to find out what it was. 

She heard them say they were coming back. That was fine. She went to her car, shivering a bit in the chilly early evening air. When they returned, she’d be here, waiting for them.  
She just hoped it wasn’t too late. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a little more than canon-typical violence, which I hadn't initially planned on. There's a shooting and there's blood.

A few hours later, when they arrived back at Blue Sky Pharma, they parked far away from the few remaining cars. “Best not go go through the front door.” The Doctor said. “We’ll find a side entrance, sneak in through there.”

The night had gotten colder, but was still clear, and the full moon combined with the exterior illumination provided enough light to see by. They walked in silence through damp grass around the building, hearing an occasional squish from a remaining puddle. 

“Looks like there’s a door, probably an emergency exit.” Yaz pointed to a door up ahead. The Doctor unlocked it using the sonic. As they were about to enter, they heard a voice cry out “Stop!”

Ryan froze. They hadn’t even gotten into the building, and they’d been caught. But Yaz looked back. A tall, thin, black shadow. “Famidah?”

“I knew you weren’t an employee, Yasmin.” She came into view, panting a little, out of breath. “You’re breaking in.”

Yaz panicked. She tried to think of something. “No, that’s not it, we’re just..” she started.

“We’re breakin’ in.” The Doctor interrupted Yaz shot her a surprised look as she addressed Famidah with a stern expression. “There’s something strange going on here.”

“I know. Whatever it is you’re doing, I want to help,” she said. “Things have been going wrong ever since I started here.” She turned to Yaz. “Sorry, I couldn’t go into more detail earlier. And I wanted to be sure.” 

“All right. What do you know?” asked Yaz. This was a positive development

Famidah continued. “I had a friend here, Roman, when I first started. There’s a back room that’s labeled senior staff only. Nobody we know has been back there. I dared him to try to get in. A couple days ago he came up to me, flashed his badge, saying he had access. Never heard from him again.” She started shaking. “They announced he’d been let go the next day but I tried calling and texting and he never answered…” she broke off into a stifled sob. “It’s my fault.”

The Doctor’s expression softened. “It’s okay, Famidah. We’ll find out what happened to your friend. What’s supposed to be in the back room?”

She wiped away the tears with her hand. “It’s supposed to be the OmniDX diagnostic area. Technicians are supposed to run the blood samples as they come in but…” her voice lowered. “I don’t know of anyone here with that job title.”

The Doctor frowned, her lips in a tight line. “Do you have your employee badge with you?” 

She nodded, reaching into her coat pocket. The Doctor scanned the badge with the sonic.”This will give let you unlock every door in the building. Go with Yaz and Graham. Find out what’s in this back room.” She turned to Ryan. “I need to see the console.”

—

Graham walked down the long hallway as quietly as he could. The emptiness and darkness gave the building an eerie, forbidden feel, a sharp contrast from the fast paced feel from when he was here eight hours earlier. He should have been scared, sneaking into the building, but mostly he felt so foolish. At dinner, the Doctor and the kids had carried on, as if it were one of their usual adventures. Thinking out loud. Joking a little bit. Graham had eaten his chicken curry in silence. He didn’t even bother putting on the hot sauce he always carried with him in his jacket. He didn’t feel much like speculating or joking with his life at stake.

“So, are you lot journalists?” Famidah’s whisper interrupted his thoughts. “Investigating and all that?”

Yaz shook her head. “No, we’re more…freelance.” 

They came to a large, metal door, marked “Authorized Staff Only-Keep Out.” With a swipe, Famidah unlocked the door with a soft click, and tentatively pushed it open. 

Yaz fumbled for a light switch on the wall, switching it on. It was a small room, with several rows of plastic and metal machines. She heard a quiet whirring from the nearest one.

Famidah walked through the aisles with an expression of confusion. “I don’t understand. These aren’t OmniDx machines. These are our competitor’s equipment. Beckman Coulter, Olympus….” She opened up one of the machines. “It’s full of blood samples. Why use these when they can use the OmniDX?”

“Do you think there’s something wrong with the OmniDX? It’s not working properly?” Yaz volunteered. “Maybe that’s why they’re getting complaints.”

“Yeah, but you can’t run all the tests we offer.” Famidah ran her hand over one of the machines. “This one will run blood chemistry. It can check if you have diabetes or liver failure or kidney disease, but that’s about it.” She rushed up to another machine of a similar size. “Here is the OmniDX-but it’s off.” Her finger traced along the metal surface. “Covered in dust, hasn’t been used in ages.” She walked down the aisle. All of these. Different versions, all sitting unused.”

Yaz looked around the room. They’d walked a long way from the back of the building. This room was too small to take up that whole space. “Do you know what else is here?” she asked. Famidah shook her head.

Graham had moved towards the back of the room “Looks like there’s another door back here.” It was the same white as the walls, and the door’s outline was barely discernible. He pushed it open, and his mouth fell open in shock. 

“Girls, get over here.” His voice was barely audible.

Inside, there was a giant craft, sixty metres long and half as wide, taking up nearly the entire room. The silver fuselage was accented with a large window in the front. An alien spaceship.

“That’s a spaceship,” gasped Yaz. “Whoever’s mucking with the blood tests has to be alien.” 

“Aliens? What do you mean?” Famidah could barely get out the words. Spaceship?! Why was there a spaceship here? When things started going awry at Blue Sky, she’d expected corporate malfeasance or maybe a coverup of some sort. 

“Aliens have been to Earth. We’ve met them before,” Graham said. “We need to find the Doctor.” He turned around only to find himself Bim, flanked by two security guareds, standing in the doorway From bad to worse. “Oh, not you lot again.” 

“Get them,” Bim commanded.

One of the guards ran toward him. Graham tried to get out of the way but the guard was too fast, and tackled him. He yelped as the guard pulled on his arms. He managed to crane his neck to see Famidah and Yaz struggling in the grip of the other two men. 

Bim was able to hold Famidah in place with little effort, encircling her in one muscle bound arm. In the other, he pulled out a small rectangular device. He held it up to her, then Yaz, then Graham. “This one.” He pointed to Graham. “We’ll take the others away.” 

Yaz kept trying to wrench herself loose, but her captor’s hands were as strong as shackles. She watched Graham being pulled away in the opposite direction. She thought of Famidah’s friend disappearing. “Where are they taking him?!” she asked the guards. They ignored her. “Any ideas?” she asked Famidah.

“I don’t know!” she said, panic stricken. 

“It’s okay, it’ll be okay,” Yaz assured her, only half believing her own words. She’d had a lot of practice keeping her cool. But now they were being led away in the opposite direction, and she couldn’t think of any escape.

—  
Graham tried to keep up with the guard manhandling him down the corridor, tripping over his own feet a few times. He’d tried shouting at the wretched man, but he said nothing.

He was pulled into the same conference room he’d been in earlier and pushed into a chair. Kel stood over him, blocking him from moving. Graham clenched his fists into balls, looking for a moment to strike. 

Anne sat at the head of the table, the same position she’d been in earlier, leaning back in her chair, sizing him up.With a wave of her hand, she commanded the guard to leave. “Should have known you weren’t an investor,” she spat out. Turning to Kel, he asked. “Where’s his friend? The annoying one?”

“Still looking for her. Found two more snooping around.” He replied.

“Annoying? Annoying will be the least of your problems when the Doc is done with you!” He retorted, puffing out his chest. Nobody insulted the Doctor except for him. “We found your ship, and she’s going to stop you.” 

She leaned back upright, placing her hands on the table. “Oh no no no, that’s not going to happen at all.” Strands of her hair danced around her shoulders. Graham’s pupils dilated, and his fists gradually unclenched. She gave the entranced man in front of her a small, cruel smile. “Old man, you’re going to tell us who you are and why you’re here.” 

In a lifeless monotone, he told them.

—  
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Ryan were in the machine room, studying the console. Ryan watched as she poked around at it, running her hands over the buttons and scanning with her sonic. “Very interesting. Doesn’t look like 21st century Earth technology.” 

“So, something really advanced that could analyze genetics?” Ryan said.

“Let’s see what’s on it.” With a buzz of the sonic. The large monitor came to life, displaying a world map, with thousands of lit up points. Mostly in England, but some in Europe, and in the Americas. 

“Something to keep track of patients?” Ryan said. The Doctor shrugged. She leaned over the console, sonicing a few more times. The screen flipped. The screen filled with text. Ryan could make out names. Thousands of names.

“That’s it.” She looked at the sonic, puzzled. “There’s no genetic information here. None. It’s just the map and the lists of names. Is Granddad’s on it?”

Another whir of the sonic “There he is.” She said quietly.

“And mine?” he said, worried. The Doctor scanned again. “Nope, you’re not on here.” She frowned. “Odd.” He’d gotten a call the day before, saying he’d tested negative for influenza, of course. Was this only for people who tested had a positive diagnosis? He was puzzled. Seamus must have been misinformed, or worse yet, lying, about the genetic information. “But they don’t need a futuristic computer to make a customer database,” he said. “So what’s all this for?”

“Good question.” She turned her attention to the console itself, squatting down, sonicing open panels. She jumped. “Oh! Picking up more psionic waves!” Rushing off to portion of the console, she pulled off another panel, pulling out a large tank with pulsating, glowing mass floating in liquid.

Ryan took a step back. “What is that?!”

“Brain wave amplifier. A hybrid of organic and mechanical technology. They were developed for nonverbals so they could communicate, but they were banned after some races adapted them for nasty purposes.” She picked up the mass, frowning as she studied it. “Intrusive thoughts. Advertisements beamed directly into your mind. We need to take this back to the TARDIS straight away, and then we can…”

“Don’t touch that!” bellowed a deep voice. Kel burst into the machine room, along with a guard. “It’s not yours!”

She looked at him, unfazed. “Oh, and I’m supposed to believe you picked this up from Curry’s?” she smirked. In a flash, she turned serious. “Whatever it is you’re doin with people’s brain waves, it stops now.” 

In a sudden move, the guard grabbed Ryan and held a revolver to his temple. “Put it down, gently, or he gets it.” Ryan’s eyes widened. He felt the cool steel of the revolver against his head, and he prayed the guard’s finger didn't slip.

The Doctor’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t threaten me.” 

Ryan heard the gun cocked, and his heart sped up as he squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to tell the Doctor it was okay, get away with the brain wave amplifier, but he couldn’t make himself form the words.

Her voice was clear and confident. “If I surrender, you’ll put down the gun?” _No, Doctor, don’t do it. Don’t trust him._ , he thought.

“You have five seconds to find out.” And from the pressure of the barrel against his head, he meant it.

He couldn’t bear to look, not sure which outcome was worse. But then heard a soft clank and the revolver removed from his head. He let out a breath, and opened his eyes to see the tank on the ground, Bim scanning the Doctor with a small device. When she craned her head to look, he took a step further back. “No sudden moves or your friend gets it.” She nodded. 

When he finished the scan, his eyes widened. Without a word, he scanned Ryan, who also tried and failed to get a good look. Bim frowned and shook his head. 

“She’ll be very interested in this one.” he nodded his head towards the Doctor. “Take them both.”

—  
Kel and the nameless guard led them to a large office marked Anne Ellsworth, CEO. Inside, Yaz and Famidah were being guarded by Bim and another guard. Ryan felt Kel let go of him and he looked around the room. He felt a tinge of panic. “Where’s Granddad?”

“I don’t know!” Yaz’s voice broke at the last word. “We all got caught, and they took him away separately. Didn’t see where he went.”

The Doctor frowned. “What did you find out?”

“We saw an alien spaceship,” Famidah said.

“The OmniDX machines…they’re not being used,” Yaz said.

“Guessin’ if they’ve parked their ride here, the aliens have fully infiltrated the place,” the Doctor said.

“You’re right.” Anne stepped into her office. She shrugged out of her blazer, revealing a cream shell blouse, the large veins in her chest plainly visible. “But we’re hardly the only aliens here, are we, Doctor?”

The Doctor looked her up and down. A small gasp escaped her lips as her eyes lit up. “I know who you are!” she announced. You are bad news. You’re a Hasteron.”

“No.” She replied. “I’m not just a Hasteron. I’m Queen Annelia. And I’m going to conquer this planet.” 

Yaz glanced over to Famidah. Her mouth was open in a state of shock, as were the guards. They didn’t know they were working for aliens. The Doctor, on the other hand, was a picture of calm.

“No,” She said it simply, matter of fact.

Annelia frowned in confusion. “What do you mean, no?”

“If you’re the Hasteron queen, where’s your armada?” she paced around, as much as the guards would let her. “This planet should be surrounded by thousands of spaceships. We shouldn’t be standin’ here at all.”

“Anyone mind telling the rest of us what a Hasteron is?” Ryan asked.

“One of the most ruthless races in Bedin I. Huge empire, hundreds of planets. Millenia of conquer, slash, burn, destroy. What makes them so successful is the queen,” she pointed to Annelia “is capable of mind control of her people. She can control thousands, millions of minds at once. There’s no need for encrypted communications. She can have them all working together in concert, all for a common cause. Ohhhhh!” she slapped her forehead. “Working together as one for the good of all! I’m so thick!

“Anyway, there’s no such thing as a rebel or a rogue unit in the Hasteron military; there can’t be. She just overrules them. But she doesn’t come to the conquest planets herself. It’s far too dangerous. You cut off the head, the body dies. Which means, something has gone very wrong in the Hasteron empire.”

“There is no more Hasteron empire.” Annelia’s lips narrowed in a tight line. “We were successful for many centuries. But then the other planets, other civilizations, started banding together and fighting back. There were more of them than us, we were outnumbered. We lost battle after battle, until are numbers dwindled. Our home planet was destroyed, just of cinders and ash. We lost every planet we conquered, centuries of rule undone. There’s only a handful of us left, scattered across the galaxies. If they find us, we’ll be hunted down and executed.”

The Doctor’s glare softened for the briefest of moments before resuming its intensity. “So what are you doing here? Don’t tell me you’re just hiding out.”

“We’re building a new army. Earth will be not only the source of our renewal, but our first conquest.”

“Soldiers? How?” the Doctor said. “You don’t have the numbers to conquer this planet, if it’s just you and your big hulks.” She pointed to Bim, who was now standing next to Annelia. “You don’t have the tech. You have something on that spaceship I don’t know about?”

“We have millions of soldiers available to us, Doctor. Sitting right here on this feeble planet, ready to move at a moment’s notice.” 

“Impossible!” the Doctor cried. “The mind control only works on your own people. You can’t just start controlling humans, even with the brain wave amplifier! They don’t have the right biology for it. Is that what you were doin’ with the blood samples? Looking to genetically engineer new Hasteron-human hybrids?” she stopped, a slight grin. “Oooh, love the alliteration on that.”

She scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. Your humans grow so slowly, creating a new army would take years. We don’t have that kind of time. Our enemies will hunt us down long before then. But we already have the needed biological components. Twelve hundred ago one of our pilots came to this galaxy through a wormhole and crashed here. It took many years to find him; the wormhole wasn’t stable. By the time we came back, he had died. But not before leaving something behind: children. With an Earth woman.”

A chill went down Yaz’s spine. Human-alien children? Was such a thing even possible?

Annelia continued. “Earth was too far from the Empire to effectively administer, so we left, leaving the children behind. But their children had children, and on and on, until the present day. All of the descendants of that pilot, walking the Earth with a tiny piece of Hasteron DNA. And that piece is all we need. We confirmed it when we arrived.”

The Doctor scrunched her face in thought. “60 generations…that’s millions.”

“We needed to get samples to find our descendants. And how better to get that by offering something that everyone wanted? You pathetic humans, wanting something so badly to be true, you’d hand not only your money, but your blood without asking questions. Just like you lot, here.” She gestured to Ryan and Yaz. “All of you trust her completely. Do you know who she is? Do you know what she’s done?”

Yaz blinked in confusion before looking over at the Doctor. The alien’s eyes briefly darted to herself and Ryan and she thought she saw a trace of fear. No, not fear. Terror. She turned her attention back to Annelia, an intensity burning in her eyes. _What she’s done? What does that mean?_ No, Yaz had to be wrong about what she’d seen. She’d misread it. Annelia was talking about conquering the Earth; this was just a distraction. She looked to Ryan, who had a slight frown, eyeing the Doctor with a hint of suspicion. He wasn’t buying this rubbish, was he?

Before either of them could say anything, Famidah gasped. “The RTC-168! That’s what you were looking for!”

“That little piece of DNA, though, and the expressed protein-that’s not enough. Not really.” The Doctor’s voice had changed now, not light and conversational, but low and tense.

“Not by itself. But we gave the descendants a drug that would increase the production of RTC-168...”

“…and use the brain wave amplifier to boost the signal.” The Doctor gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. “Graham,” she whispered, barely audible. 

“Yes, one of your pets belongs to us.” She purred, and the long strands of her hair lifted upward, as if attracted by static electricity. As if on cue, the door opened and Graham entered. His pupils were dilated and he had a stiff walk, reminding Ryan of zombie movies. In his hands, he carried a spanner the size of his lower leg, and nearly as thick. He walked towards Annelia, standing at her side.

“Granddad!” Ryan shouted. When he didn’t responded, he turned to the Doctor, eyes wide with panic. “Doctor, what’s happening with him?” 

“Mind control, just like she said. That was the substance in the drug I couldn’t identify, they’ve used it to amp up the protein created by Hasteron DNA, the one that makes their race susceptible to it. See the hairs? They’re not really hairs, they’re tentacles, emitting the mind control signal!” She was talking quickly, not bothering to hide her terror. “Graham?!”

“Don’t bother, he can’t hear you. He’s going to destroy you instead,” Annelia purred. “Meet the first member of my new army. If you wish to avoid that fate, you are welcome to join. You’d be on the front lines. The unconnected are the most expendable.”

“Is that what happened to Dr. Bhaktar?” Yaz glared at her. “She found out what you were, and you killed her?”

“And Roman?” Famidah added.

“Dr. Bhaktar was so intelligent, but also so foolish.” She walked around the room a slow circle, heels clicking on the floor. “Sad, really. The OmniDX was her idea, but she couldn’t get it to work consistently. Kept giving the wrong readings, or none at all. She was under pressure, having promised working prototypes and wasn’t going to meet her deadlines. I saw the opportunity. I stepped in, made her an offer. A working OmniDX in exchange for a stake in the company. A beneficial arrangement on both sides, until she was here late one night and caught sight of some things she shouldn’t have. Collateral damage. A shame.” She shrugged. “Roman was…merely foolish.

“I’m not joining!” It was the guard, charging towards them. “Get a piece of this, ya alien scum!” In a second, Bim pulled out his gun and fired, shooting him in the head. The guard fell to the floor, blood spilling out of the hole in his skull. The second guard went pale with fright, frozen for a moment before running towards the door. Bim fired again, taking him down as well. Yaz’s stomach churned. 

“You monster.” The Doctor’s fists were clenched, staring down her adversary. “None of us is joining you.”

“Oh, Doctor, I thought you’d be the first one on the front lines.” Annelia flashed her cruel, wicked smile. “Time Lords love a good fight, don’t they?” 

Her mouth twitched at the mention of her species, but she maintained her posture. “This ends, right now! I’m going to stop you.”

“And just how are you going to do that?” She looked like a cat with a trapped mouse. “I do love irony. Death at the hand of your so called ‘friend’ here. And if he can’t do it, Bim will. I will attend to…other matters.”

She walked to the door with quick steps. Fingers pressed to her temples, she said, “Kel, turn on the amplifier. We’re ready to begin.” A slow smile crept across her face. As she passed Graham, she said, “Old man, Take them apart.” The door clicked shut behind her. Graham approached them with slow, plodding steps.

“What does she mean, ready to begin?” Yaz asked. 

“Since we’ve caught her, she’s activating the amplifier now. All the human descendants, the ones taking the medicine, will fall under her mind control. Ryan, all those names we saw are going to be her new army, and they’ll kill anyone who gets in their way.”

He thought back to the list Thousands of names. “What do we do?”

“First thing is get out of here,” Her eyes darted around the room.

“And how do we do that?” Ryan said. Bim watched them, hand on his holstered gun.

The Doctor looked worried. “Haven’t the foggiest.”


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor smiled as she looked up to the high ceiling, at the large heating duct held in tension. In a low voice, she said to her friends, “When I say run, head to the left.”

Ryan and Yaz could only nod., though didn’t see anything to the left but the large plate glass window. Famidah was frozen, keepingher eyes on Yaz, eyes wide with fright.

“What are you happy about?” Bim scowled. “You’re trapped here with no weapons.”

“No weapons.” she pulled out her sonic. “But a screwdriver. Does a lot of things, but right now, it’s going to do some _unscrewing_.” She activated the sonic, unfastening the cables holding up the heating duct. The duct creaked and groaned as it fell, directly on Bim’s head, rendering him unconscious.

With incredible speed, even before the duct had fallen, she’d moved the sonic to the window, exerting a huge wave of pressure. A slight buckle. “Run!” she shouted.

They all ran as the glass shattered into thousands of pieces, the air filled with the sound of the breaking glass and the crunching of shards under their shoes. Following the Doctor’s, the humans covered their faces with their arms to avoid getting cuts as they ran out onto the concrete surrounding the building. Ryan looked back for only a second to see Graham coming after them at the same steady pace. He swallowed hard and ran faster.

“What about Granddad? We can’t just leave him here!” he shouted to the Doctor.

“He’s comin’ for us! We need to escape him!” The Doctor panted, not slowing her pace. “Where’s the spaceship?”

“The loading dock!” Yaz replied.

At the old loading dock, the Doctor bent over to catch her breath before opening the rolling door with the sonic. “Intergalactic cruiser, small weapons capability, runs on liquid hydrogen. A classic!”

Still panting from the run, Ryan buried his face in his hands. The adrenaline from the capture and chase had quickly worn off, and he felt like he was going to collapse under the dual weight of exhaustion and guilt. This was his fault. He should have postponed the trip with Dad, left a day later,, anything.

“Ryan, what is it?” Yaz’s voice. She was standing in front of him. “What’s not your fault?”

He didn’t even realize he was mumbling. “Graham. This only happened to him because of me. If I’d gone with him.” he shuddered, “I might have told him not to take that stupid blood test. ‘Cause I’d seen it before.”

She put a hand on his shoulder, in an effort to calm him. “Ryan, you can’t blame yourself. You had no way of knowing.” He slowly lowered his hands to his sides. Yaz was looking at him, brows knitted in concern. Glancing over at the Doctor, she asked what he couldn’t. “Are we going to be able to get him back?”

“Yes. Almost sure. Probably.” She was still studying the ship, scanning with the sonic. “Annelia is going to be looking for us. We need to stop them before she amasses her army of mind-controlled humans. Ryan, given the map we found, a good lot of them are within a short distance, so we need to act quickly. “ Still trying to pull himself together, he didn’t respond.

Seeing his condition, Yaz stepped up. “How do we stop them?”

She opened the spaceship door with the sonic. “You and Ryan need to remove the brain wave amplifier from the console.” Her eyes darted to Ryan briefly before handing the sonic to Yaz. “Point and think.”

“We can do that,” Yaz said. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready to move, but Ryan remained frozen. 

The Doctor approached him, her golden hair glinting in the moonlight. “Ryan, Graham needs you. Remember, he’s still your granddad. No superpowers, same strengths, same weaknesses. You know him better than anyone.” He nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.

“Off you go then.” The Doctor nodded. “Famidah, you’re with me.” 

Yaz pulled on Ryan’s arm to get him to move. He forced himself to walk, one step ahead of the other. He needed to save Granddad.

\--

After the Doctor rushed into the spaceship, Famidah peered into the entrance hatch, unsure of what lurked inside. She drew in a breath.The other aliens could arrive here at any moment. She decided she was better off staying at the Doctor’s side, and took tentative steps onto the spaceship. A real alien spaceship. 

“Famidah! Are you coming?” The Doctor asked.

“Yes.” Moving faster, she followed the Doctor’s voice to find the her at what looked like the cockpit, hands dancing over the buttons.

“Workin’ the comms. Sendin’ out a message for help.” she explained, not looking up.

“That’s good.” was all she could think to say. She moved with caution, afraid to touch anything. Yasmin had seemed so comfortable with this woman.

The Doctor jerked her head up, looking at her with unbridled intensity. “But they won’t be here for hours. Which means we need to find a way to stop Annelia, now. If Ryan and Yaz disconnect the brain wave amplifier out from the console, they can stop the large scale attack, but anyone who comes within range of her is still vulnerable, including Graham. You know this place better than me or my friends. What’s here we can use? Chemicals? Lasers? Germs? Think!” She emphasized the last words with her hands, slamming them together.

“I don’t know,’ she stammered. “I haven’t been here that long, and the only place I was allowed to go was my lab and a few common areas, they were all so secretive!”

“What about Annelia herself? Or her lackeys? Did you spend time with her? Notice anything she did or didn’t like?” The questions came rapid fire, causing her head to spin.

“A little time, when I was first hired and…” A thought began to form. She didn’t know the first thing about alien biology, but if they were similar enough to humans to breed, it might have a chance. “The Hasteron all have the protein circulating in them, the RTC-168. Would she have it too?”

“Pretty sure she would,” the Doctor said, looking thoughtful. “What are you thinking?”

\--  
Ryan had recovered enough to lead Yaz down the hallways, in the direction of IT. He had to do this. He needed to do this. He was feeling if not, calm, then more collected, when he heard a shot ring out behind them.

Yaz took a quick look behind them. Kel was fifteen metres behind and gaining fast. “Alien Fabio!” They heard three more shots and saw bullets ricochet off the brick. 

“Shooting like a Stormtrooper too!” Ryan replied. He was grateful this one was a worse shot than Bim. Turning the corner, he saw a wooden door. “Up ahead!” he cried.

They ran through the door and slammed it shut. Yaz locked the door with the sonic. “Door’s not gonna hold long. We need to move.” As soon as she spoke, they heard a slamming against the door, a slight jostle with every push. Still panting from the chase, she looked around. They were in another lab, different from the one she’d been in with Famidah. Her eyes fell on a large gas cylinder strapped to the wall. She rushed over, undoing the straps. “Maybe we can heave this at him?”

“You ever try moving one of those things, Yaz? They’re heavy. Really heavy. But wait.” He’d worked with compressed gas when he did welding in sixth form. He rolled the cylinder away from the wall, positioning the valve towards him. He took a step back, motioning for Yaz to do the same. “When he comes through, open the valve with the sonic. Stay back.”

Not five seconds later, Kel crashed through the door. Yaz activated the sonic. The cylinder gave forth a burst of white gas as it careened towards Kel like a rocket, knocking him to the floor. He didn’t move.

Yaz looked in astonishment. “Think he’s dead?”

“Let’s not find out.” They left, slowing down only when they stepped over the body. “IT isn’t much further. 

\--  
When they arrived at the IT department, the door was slightly ajar, and the lights were on.

“Someone still working?” Yaz pushed open the door. And drew in a breath.

Standing between them and the console room, among the rows of gray-fabric covered cubicles, was Graham, still holding the spanner. As soon as he saw them, he started walking towards them,still entranced. Ryan’s stomach dropped. He wanted to run away, but he forced himself to stay fixed to the spot. Deep breaths. Maybe the Doctor forcing him to confront his needle phobia had been the right move after all.

Keeping his eyes fixed on Graham, he said, “Take care of the brain wave amplifier I’ll keep him busy.” Dread filled him. He would have rather done anything else. But he was bigger and stronger than Yaz. He was their best chance. Could he get through the mind control?. _He’s still your granddad._ “ Last panel on the right.”

“But Ryan..”

“Now!” He watched Yaz run toward the machine room. Graham started after her. Ryan searched around for a weapon, but found nothing bigger than a stapler “Oi, Granddad! Leave her alone!”

Undeterred, Graham walked down the row. Ryan headed him off. Graham took a swing at him with the spanner. Ryan dodged it, jumping back. “Granddad! Don’t do this! It’s me, Ryan!” Up close, he could see the small cuts on his face and hands from the shattered glass, dried up rivulets of blood. He was panting, as if he were out of breath. Sweat collected on his brow. Ryan grabbed a laptop off the nearest desk, blocking the next swing of the spanner. “You know us. You sulked all last weekend because West Ham lost!” On the following swing, the laptop snapped in half. Ryan threw the useless pieces on the ground. He took a few steps back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the machine room door open. _Come on Yaz, hurry up_

Graham plodded toward him. He raised the spanner above his head. Ryan caught it as he brought it down, pushing back with all his might. He was younger, stronger, but Graham had the force of determination, of unquestioning orders, on his side.

“How’s it going, Yaz?” he shouted.

“It’s stuck in here!” she shouted back.”How’d the Doctor get it out?!”

“I don’t know!” His arms were trying to shake as he held the spanner. It was lowering towards him, inch by inch. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold it.

—  
The Doctor stood in a darkened hallway, the only light coming from a single fluorescent bulb.   
The bait in their trap. Adrenaline flowing through her, an old, familiar friend.. She hated being without her sonic; she felt naked without it. But she thought their plan had an excellent chance to work. Well, a good chance. Definitely better than average.

She heard footsteps just as Annelia’s tall frame appeared at the end of the hall. She betrayed no emotion, but blood pounded in her ears as her hearts raced.

“Game’s up, Doctor. I’ve found you, ” she said. Her hair was fully on end now, every strand waving and pulsing, giving orders to unsuspecting humans. “Are you ready to surrender?”

When the Doctor didn’t answer, Annelia continued, walking towards her. “I know what you think of me. Disgusting, brutal, controlling the minds of millions. But I’m no different than any great leader. I even see it here on this disgusting, backwards planet. Manipulation. Propaganda. Finding scapegoats. Making promises they have no plans to keep. And the masses just sit there, on their televisions and their phones, eating it up. “ She stopped, feet away, scowling. “Is that what you’re doing with the man who you brought here? You’ve never told him who you really are. What is he for?” 

“He’s my mate. Not that you’d understand that.” They stood feet apart, facing each other down as if it were high noon in a Western. “You can force great armies to move, but you can’t make anyone like you.”

Annelia scoffed. “I felt Bim and Kel go down. Not bad. You may have put my men out of commission for now, but there’s plenty more where that came from.”

“Don’t think so,” The Doctor replied, fists clenched in steely determination, teeth bared. “Call the humans off. All of them.” She saw a shadow behind Annelia, but kept her focus on the queen. _Keep talking, _. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Annelia. Let go of the mind control, command the humans to stand down. I can negotiate between you and your enemies. Figure out a way for you to live in peace. Another planet, far out of the way. No conquering, no colonies. Other races, they’ve seen the planets they’ve ruined, all the lives they’ve destroyed. They made a choice. Ever hear of the Thjarians? Swords to plowshares, that lot!”__

__“What, you, a peacemaker?” Annelia smirked. “I know all about you. About the Time War. All the death and destruction you and your people have caused throughout the universe.”_ _

__The mention of the Time War, not heard by her in decades, rattled loose old feelings. Regret. Fear. Disgust. Memories. Bodies strewn around the landscape. The smell of burnt flesh. She felt her knees quiver, threatening to buckle, but she could not show weakness. She channeled everything into unrestrained ferocity. “Not for the conquest of the universe, but for survival!”_ _

__“But they didn’t survive, did they? Wouldn’t you have done the same thing I’m doing now, if you could have saved them?” She walked closer to the Doctor, the shadow following._ _

__The Doctor let out a breath. _She thinks the Time Lords are all dead. No reason to further enlighten her._ She didn’t flinch. “I wouldn’t.”_ _

__“That’s why you’re the last of your kind, while our empire will rise again!” she exclaimed. The shadow was growing larger, a faint outline of a hand. So close…_ _

__“One last chance. Stop this, now, or I will.”_ _

__Annelia smirked. “And what are you going to do? You’re alone, no weapons, the old man’s on his way to finishing off your other friends, how are you going to destroy me?” She was inches away from the Doctor now, close enough that she could see the individual strands of hair dancing and wriggling and writhing. It was now._ _

__“Not destroy,” she said, her voice even. “Neutralize.”_ _

__Annelia’s head jerked back, a firm hand grasping her hair tentacles from behind. With her free hand, Famidah injected a needle into the central vein running down her back, pushing the plunger down on the large syringe. She crumpled to the ground, screaming, a loud, high pitched caterwaul._ _

__“Good work, Famidah!” the Doctor shouted over the screaming. Letting go of the hair tentacles, Famidah stepped over the screaming alien. Her hair fell to her shoulders, dead and unmoving._ _

__“What did you do to me?!” Annelia demanded, shaking, glaring at the Doctor. “They’re gone! All of them! I can’t feel any of them!”_ _

__“It was the antibodies we had to make for all those bloody ELISAs,” Famidah stood over her, triumphant. “Antibodies for RTC-168, binding to it and rendering it useless.”_ _

__“Defeated by the very biology that made you a ruthless colonizer,” the Doctor said. “Your mind control’s broken, Annelia. You’re not taking a single human under your command. They will no longer hear you, much less obey you. Any commands you’ve given them, entirely gone. “ she continued as Annelia slowly rose. “The Shadow Proclamation is on their way, and you’ve broken, oh, at least a dozen regulations.”_ _

__“No, no no no no no. The Shadow Proclamation will turn us over to our enemies, the planets we conquered.” She stood, more steady. “That must not happen.” She took a side step and elbowed the Doctor in the stomach. The Doctor reeled back, clutching her stomach as Annelia sprinted down the hall._ _

__“She’s getting away!” Famidah cried._ _

__Bent over, the Doctor gulped for breaths. Finally she said.“Need to rethink this being nice. Come on, Famidah. Bet she’s headed back to her ship.”_ _

__\--  
Graham looked around the cubes, blinking. He was sitting on the floor. “What happened? How did I get here?” One moment he was being in the conference room, that awful blond man staring him down. The next he was stumbling backwards. The heavy spanner he’d been holding sat next to him on the carpet. _ _

__Ryan crouched down. His arms still felt like Jell-O from holding off the spanner for so long, but he didn’t care. It was over. Relief flooded through him. “The CEO lady was a mind controlling alien. You okay?”_ _

__“I think so, yeah.” His face and arms stung. He looked at them. Where had all these cuts come from? Why did his head hurt?_ _

__The heavy spanner he’d been holding sat next to him on the carpet, where he’d dropped it. He’d been pushing it against Ryan when he’d been stumbling back. Mind controlling alien..he gasped. “Did I...hurt…” If he’d harmed Ryan, if he’d hurt _anyone_..._ _

__“No, no, I’m fine,” he said quickly. After a pregnant pause, he said, “Prob’ly seems like an odd time to say this now, but I’m sorry I didn’t go with you to your doctor.”_ _

__“It’s okay, son.” And it was. The thought of the lost hours reeled through his mind. Anything could have happened. But Ryan had been there, looking out for him. He was a good lad. “And I’m sorry for attacking you with a spanner.”_ _

__He chuckled. “You didn’t stand a chance against me.”_ _

__Yaz came over, carrying a small tank with a brown, pulsating mass, expanding and contracting like a diaphragm, floating in fluid. “Got the brain wave amplifier free.”_ _

__His eyes boggled. “Brain what? I missed a lot.”_ _

__\--  
The spaceship already had its lights on and engines running by the time the Doctor and Famidah arrived. “It’s no use, Annelia! Surrender now!” The Doctor cried. “The Shadow   
Proclamation will find you!”_ _

__“You should hope they never do.” her deep voice boomed over the external loudspeakers. The Doctor saw a blue light flash across the front. A transporter beam, likely for her fellow aliens. “If I go, my people go with me. The genocide of the Hasteron is on you! ” Without waiting for a reply, the ship moved straight up,It was going to go through the ceiling._ _

__“Back through the doorway!” The Doctor yanked on her arm as she heard the crunch of metal and wood break. Bits of debris and roof and tile rained down behind them in a thunderous roar._ _

__Inside the hallway, the Doctor fell to her knees, her mouth twisted into an anguished frown. Genocide. How many species wiped out, how many lives lost, because of her actions? How many beings and races and planets had she failed? How many of _her own people_ had died, because she couldn’t stop the war sooner?_ _

__“Doctor?”_ _

__Famidah. She’d forgotten about her. She sprung up, and noticed Famidah staring at her, mouth open. The girl had heard too much. She couldn’t explain it to her. She couldn’t explain it to anyone. In a split second, the Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders. “Everything she said...not a word, do you understand?” Her words were more of a snarl, deep and low. “Not. One. Word.”_ _

__Shocked, Famidah could only nod._ _

__The Doctor gave her a bright smile. “Good!” She’d listen. She was sure of it._ _

__Then they heard a thud, and the building rocked. “What’s that?!” Famidah asked._ _

__The Doctor frowned as she realized. “The ship. She doesn’t have enough forces to attack the Earth, so she’s going to bring down the building. We need to find my mates, and get out of here!” With that, she was sprinting down the hall._ _

__\--  
Ryan, Yaz, and Graham felt the building shake with the thud, followed by another, and another. “What’s going on?!” Yaz cried._ _

__The Doctor, appeared in the doorway. “The building’s getting destroyed! We need to get out now!” They all ran, dodging bits of falling plaster and the occasional water pipe, until they reached the back entrance. Seconds after they made it out of the back exit, the building collapsed._ _

__As they stood, looking over the ruins, the Doctor pointed to the sky at a small point of light, larger and brighter than the surrounding stars. “Light speed drive. She got away in a flash. Took her people with her. Leaving behind only a ruined old factory.” She had a faraway look in her eyes, lips downturned, unmoving despite the rapidly gathering dust in the air._ _

__Turning around and facing her friends, she gestured to Famidah. “A quick thinker, this one. Graham, she saved you.” The Doctor put on a big smile, though it didn’t escape Ryan’s notice the Doctor’s eyes were narrowed, as if daring her to contradict what she was saying. “I need to take a quick look around, make sure there’s no more alien tech intact. Wait here.”_ _

__Ryan stared after her, watching the alien pick through the rubble. He thought back to what Annelia said, about Time Lords loving a good fight. _Do you know who she is?_. No, not really. But not for lack of trying. He noticed Famidah kept giving the Doctor nervous glances. Just what had happened in there? _ _

__Yaz noticed Famidah’s expression as well. “Are you okay?” she asked._ _

__“I’m fine,” she said with a half hearted smile. “It was just..a scary thing, that’s all. Never seen aliens before.”_ _

__“Yeah, it’s scary, but the Doctor always works it out. Doesn’t she, Ryan?”_ _

__Ryan didn’t say anything, instead looking wordlessly at Famidah. He could practically feel the terror rolling off her at the mention of the Doctor. Why didn’t Yaz notice this? He knew she practically worshipped the Doctor, but shouldn’t those copper instincts be kicking in?_ _

__“Ryan what is it?” Yaz said._ _

__“Just wonderin’ about what the queen lady said.” He looked pointedly at Yaz. “Learned more from her about Time Lords than we have from the Doctor. Who is she? What are her people like?”_ _

__“Are you daft? She was probably trying to get us to side against her.” Yaz crossed her arms. To Famidah she said, “Don’t mind him. He’s just had a scare, too. Graham is his granddad. Speaking of which, we should see how he’s doing.”_ _

__Graham was sitting in the dust-coverd grass, exhausted from his ordeal. They’d need to find a place to get plasters, maybe some rubbing alcohol. At the moment, he was still asking questions about what happened. Ryan did his best to answer, but he was only half paying attention._ _

__\--_ _

__“Glad to hear it. Bye.” Graham smiled as he clicked off his phone. “No cancer. For real this time”_ _

__“Brilliant!!” the Doctor exclaimed, smiling, in constant motion as usual, hands moving over the console. They were in the TARDIS, about to head out on another trip. A few days after the “mysterious” destruction of Blue Sky Pharma, he’d gotten a call from Dr. Obiasolu, saying a recall notice had been issued for the OmniDX. He’d gone back, this time not only with Ryan, but Yaz and the Doctor._ _

__“Yeah,” he smiled back. There was one other thing on his mind.. “Hey Doc, is there anything I can do to get this RTC thing out of me?”_ _

__“It’s just a protein, Graham. It’s harmless now, just part of your blood, like it has been your whole life. Annelia won’t come back here.”_ _

__“Yeah, but if we ran into her, or another of her kind, out there…” he looked worried. “I feel like a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off. “ The cancer was like that too, he supposed, but he didn’t want to bring that up in front of the fam. Not when they were about to be off on another trip._ _

__“I’m gonna go to the kitchen and make a cuppa,” he said. “ Anyone want anything?”_ _

__Ryan got up from where he’d been sitting on the stairs. “Yeah, I want some tea, but I’ll get my own. You never make it right.”_ _

__“Son, I’ve been making tea since before you were born!”_ _

__“Yet you keep doing it wrong!” Ryan teased._ _

__“I should have hit you with that spanner!” he gave Ryan a playful shove._ _

__When the men left, Yaz watched the Doctor, lost in thought. At Blue Sky, she’ d shrugged off Ryan’s concerns about the Doctor, but the words had burrowed into her mind, like a mite under skin. She couldn’t get them out of her head. And what she’d just said, _Annelia’s won’t be back._ How could she be so sure?_ _

__She was probably worried over nothing. The Doctor wanted to assure Graham he was safe._ _

__She needed to know._ _

__She had wondered about the Doctor’s past so often. She wanted to know more of it, know everything about her. The Doctor was like a deep well, infinite and dark. When the fam asked her questions about herself, she changed the subject, but perhaps, in these quiet moments alone, she could get some answers._ _

__“Pretty amazing how one crashed pilot caused all that trouble, isn’t it?” she strolled around the console, trying to sound casual._ _

__“Yeah, so many unbelievable things out there.” The Doctor met her eyes, smiling in earnest._ _

__“What about you, Doctor? Think you have any descendants out there?”_ _

__Her eyebrows raised for a fraction of a second before her expression darkened, lips tightening into a thin line. “I told you before. Lost my family a long time ago.”_ _

__“But are you _sure_.” she knew she was pushing now, overstepping. “Maybe there’s someone out there you don’t know about. Like the Hasteron.”_ _

__“I’m absolutely certain of it. I’d know it if they were alive.” her voice softened, quiet, as she looked into the distance. “They’re gone, Yaz. All gone.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's it! A few notes:
> 
> As pointed out in the comments, this fic was based on the real life story of Theranos (for which Hasteron is an anagram). For the uninitiated, Theranos was an American biotech startup that promised diagnoses using a finger stick rather than a blood draw. The company was super secretive about their operations and they were hell to work for. In 2015 they were exposed to be a massive fraud; their blood test machines didn't work.
> 
> I feel like the ending rings a little hollow now after the opening episodes of S12, but again, it was all written last November and December. I hope you still enjoyed it.
> 
> A big thanks to my fellow Season 11.5 writers, who gave suggestions and feedback. And to Dabberdees, for having a definitive and ready answer to what Graham would eat at a Chinese restaurant :)


End file.
